Moroccan Chicken with Fruit and Olives

If one is preparing for possible nuclear holocoast or at least a major snowstorm, then my pantry and freezer stashes are admirable. If one is moving in a month, into a house with a kitchen to be shared with two roommates…my stockpile is less appealing. (Blame the discount grocery. Who can possibly pass on half-price turkey bacon?) So I’m committed to cooking through at least some of it before I move.

Tonight’s dinner was perfect. I everything on hand already. The recipe came from the Cooking Light book I got for Christmas from the inimitable Sarah Book. I was a little hesitant about the apricots, as they are not my favorite dried fruit; too chewy and not as pleasing on the palate as golden raisins. (Though, honestly, what is?) However, the short simmer they got improved the texture, and the onions and olives kept the topping from being too sweet. Also, the chicken was a bit of a triumph on its own. I tend to breeze through “golden brown and delicious” and pan-sear straight into “blackened,” but this time I pretty much nailed it.